Very Bad! Female Border Guard Shot At B.C./Washington Crossing!!

This is a discussion on Very Bad! Female Border Guard Shot At B.C./Washington Crossing!! within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; A Canadian border services officer was shot and seriously wounded by a gunman who then fatally turned his weapon on himself at the Peace Arch ...

Very Bad! Female Border Guard Shot At B.C./Washington Crossing!!

A Canadian border services officer was shot and seriously wounded by a gunman who then fatally turned his weapon on himself at the Peace Arch crossing south of Vancouver, police say.

The female border officer's condition is not known, but Const. Bert Paquet said at an RCMP news conference that she was breathing and conscious when airlifted to hospital.

Paquet told reporters that a man travelling alone in a white van with Washington licence plates pulled up to a kiosk and shot the border guard.

He said the suspect died from "what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Video surveillance is being reviewed and witnesses are being interviewed, Paquet said.
Traffic at the Peace Arch border crossing would be closed for several hours, police said late Tuesday afternoon.Traffic at the Peace Arch border crossing would be closed for several hours, police said late Tuesday afternoon. (Mark Gryski/CBC)

LeAnn Dombrosky told CBC News she was at the border crossing when the shooting occurred.

“I was the third car in the Nexus lane as this incident occurred at 1:51 p.m.," Dombrosky said in an email.

"There was a gunshot and sounds of a woman screaming which drew the attention of all the other guards. Then after about 10 seconds, the guards were yelling to a man in a white van in the far left lane (closest to the building) to put his hands up –another shot or two were fired – in which the driver of the white van took his life with a bullet in his head.”
Minister responds

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews issued a statement saying his thoughts and prayers go out to the officer's family and colleagues.

"I am deeply concerned by the news of the shooting today at the Peace Arch border crossing of a CBSA officer," Toews said. "This event is a sobering reminder of the dangerous conditions faced daily by the men and women of our law enforcement agencies."

Traffic in both directions was halted after the incident occurred and would not be moving "for several hours," Paquet said.

The Peace Arch, officially called the Douglas crossing, about 40 kilometres south of Vancouver, is the third-busiest border point between Canada and the U.S.

An average of 3,500 cars pass through the crossing on a slow day, and during peak periods about 4,800 vehicles will move through the border.

During those peak periods, border delays can reach four hours on either side of the border.

Bad: US-Canada crossing closed after Canadian agent shot

The Peace Arch crossing on the U.S.-Canada border was closed Tuesday after a man driving a van with Washington state plates shot a Canadian guard in the neck and then apparently killed himself, a police official said.

Not good at all. Crossing the border was worth killing for...?!? Then killing yourself over...?!? Just take your OWN life and leave others OUT of it.

Certinally prayers for the agent, her fellow agents, and family. The 'crazies' are out there, ya'll keep your SA up and stay safe!

Sad situation all around. I was born in Canada - now an American citizen. Frankly, every time I cross the 'border' I am always left wondering what the real purpose is for having these checkpoints anyway........